Valve seal



w. G. .sANnEnsoN- VALVE SEAL. APPLICATION FILED JULY I4, 192|.

194236,419. Patented Aug. 22, 1922.

f lso ,vente Stessa vWILLIAr/r s; sennsasolmororrrceeoarrinrnors- Beit known that-, WILLIAM SaimicasoN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, 'resid- .ing at Chicago, in the countyot Cook and State of Illinois, yhave invented certain new and useful mprovements in Valve Seals, of which lthe following is a` specification'. f l

' The invention relates to improvements in valve seals. l i y One of the objectsol theinventicn is to provide a valve seal that will `visually in' dicate the tact when the valvehas been moved from sealed position. e A ,y

vAnother ob'ect is to p`rovidef a seal in whichl a distinctive partis and will remain covert while the valve is in sealed position and which will automatically be displayed and conspicuously exhibited when theyvalve has been moved from said position.

Another object' isto providea sealin which a card, within. an. envelope, constitutes'part of a link of the seal and in which the card is withdrawnl 'from the envelope in the acty of moving. the valve from 4its sealed position. y Another object is to provide seal in` 'which'a card within an envelope, constitutes part ofa link ofthe seal and'in which the card is secured tothe valve handle by a seal, and'in which the envelopey is secured to an immovable object by a seal'so that upon movement. of the valvelhandle' Lthe card is pulled 'outfot the envelope, leaving ,the card. conspicuously,displayed and sealed to the handle and leavingthe envelope sealed to the zred object. y f

The arrangement of the 'card is'snch, with respect'to the envelope, that it can notfbe returned to the envelope without showing evidences of its removal. Y l

Another object is to provide an efficient 'seal for a valve which will interpose very slight resistance tothe movement. of the valve handle when it becomes necessary to move the valve after it hasbeen sealed.` v f Other, further and more' -specilic objects of the invention 4will Vvbecomey readily apparent to persons skilled in the art,irom a .consideration of the: following description, when taken in conjunctionA with"th.e drawings, wherein Fig. l shows ai valve and the manner of sealing the wheel or handle so that it may not be moved without rupturing` the seal.

Fig. 2 shows the valve and seal after vthe valve wheel or handle has been moved to i ,vAnvEsEAL Leiters ltatsne lfonne'ctedthereto by akey'g.:

iaai. seein No. As ,611.

otits use may require.

. vopen or to close Athe valve .as thegexigencies f" Fig. 3 shows thelowerend of thefen-fA velope after' the "hole, through which `'the seal wirepas'ses, has been ruptured "in the f' act-otwithdrawing the card 'rom'thel en- A 'I lvelope. dueto the rotation ot the valve wheel. e .v

In `all-oi: the views the same-reference characters. are employed to indicate lsimilar parts. A Inire'f' protection sprinkler' systems, in

which automatic sprinkler heads' are in`` .70

stalle'd,"it is highly desirable that the pipe or riser communicating with the source of,

water supply; and-by which 'thespri-nkl-er' 'heads are furnished with -\vater,l`sl`ieuldfre `heads at all times. Th'ereware occasions,

shut off the 'water tor repairs, and'fthe'like,

. and for this reasona shuto'ffvalve is placedinthe f water vsupply pipes, org-risers.

` ln systems of this characterthe'mostvigif main open toperrnit *flowjot water 'tothe` l'7 5 lant supervision overI the vval-ves must be some means must- 'be provided-to' vautomatically and nntailingly displayaconspicuous vindication 'as anl evi-dencel of v`(thel factthat the valvel has' been closed and'l [the water 111 M supply shut off from thesprin'kler-healdsl'or ajb upon closing the valve.

continuously. maintained'. and to this end l casingk included `between Lthepipe vsections y within r'wh'ich'i's contained the' valve and 'parts of thel usualshut :Voili rvalve'operableloy rotationo'f r the usual valve stem 7." Al valve wheel or handle 8, fori rotating the Assuming that the valvey is open, was shown nih-ig; lyitbecomes necessary to rotate the stema wheel 8 clockwise several "revolutions "to close it. r `To seal the. valvein openposition va card -10, shown 'in Fig. l.V inside the envelopeflQ,

jand in Fig;` 2 hanging conspi'c'uouslyr from the valve vwheel 8, isplaced 'in the envelope l2. The envelope isprovided at itsclosed end with a reentorcing eyelet or groinmet il, through ywhich a seal wire lll is passed, then secured to a fixed point as a screw eye l5, the two ends being tied together with the.

usual' lead seal 16.

The card 10,- vvhich is preferably brilliantly red in color, containing` thenecessary instructions and directions printed thereon, and having` preferably the legend Sprinklers shut ott appearing on both vsides in large type is for permanent attachment to the valve wheel. When the valve is closed the card is brought plainly in sight and when the valve is open the card is enclosed.r within the envelope and out of sight. The card is provided on one end with a reenorcing eyelet or grommet 17.. When the Acard isV placed` within the envelope seal -wire 18 is passed through the eyelet and through one, or two registering openings, 19, near the open end oi' the envelope.

The seal wire 18 is now passed around the rim of the wheel S and the lead seal 20 issecured to the wire and made to connect the ends 21 of the seal wire 18. y

W hen the wheel 8 is rotated in valve closing direction to an extent less than one-half of a revolution, the wire 18 will rupture the envelope part surrounding the hole or holes 19, and the card will drop out of the envelope into position shown in Fig. 2. The envelope, with proper endorsements thereon, announcing the time when the valve was closed, when opened, and by whom it was opened, is subsequently mailed or otherwise delivered to the supervisors oi the system. VYhen the valve is again opened another en-l velope is furnished and the card enclosed therein asrbefore, and the envelope sealed to the card and wheel and to a suitable point by an authorized supervisor.

The display of the card attached to the wheel is an nn'tailing indication that the valve is or has been closed and calls Ylor immediate attention.'

1 The rupture at hole 19 prohibits the subsequent use of the envelope to again concealv the card. WVhen the card vhas been withdrawn froml its concealing means to which it is sealedwhich' may well be -an envelope, and replaced therein after opening the valve, the presence of evidence that the seal has been broken, as by tearing the envelope from hole 19, shows that the valve has been closed .without reporting the fact to the supervisor in the required manner. The card may be sealed yto the concealing` means by use of any convenient sealing` device that wi-ll leave vwith the concealingmeans 'evidence of its rupture.

While l have herein shown a single exempliitication of my invention, itvwill be apparent, to persons skilled in the art, that various changes may be made therein within the scope of the appended claims.

-Having described my'invention 'vhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A device otthe character described comprising` a cover part sealed to a relatively stationary object and a display part connected thereto, normally invisible, sealed to a movable object, arranged to` be disconnected from the cover part by movement of vfrom the `other element by movement oi' said movable object from its sealed position and made visible when so disconnected.

3.' A device of the character described comprising an envelope sealed to a relatively stationary object; a card Within the envelope; a relatively movable object and a seal connecting the envelope and card to the movable object whereby to withdraw the lcard from the envelope when said object is moved.

l. A device of the `character described comprising a card cover to conceal a card, sealed to a' relatively'stationary object and having` a hole near its i'ree end; a cardA concealed thereby having; a hole in its outer end substantially registering)r with the hole in the cover; a valve having a handle', and a rseal connected to the handle and passing through said registering holes, whereby to rupture the card cover and withdraw the card? when the valve handleis moved from sealed po'- sition. l n l y 5. il device .of the .character described comprising` an envelope sealed to arelatively stationary ob-iect and having4 a hole near its open end; a card within the envelope having a holein `its outer end; a rotatablevalve wheel and a seal passing; through the aforesaid holes and enclosing a part of said wheel. whereby to withdraw the card when the wheel is rotated. p 6. A device of the character described comprising means for concealing a card, sealed to a stationary ob]- ect; a card normally concealed by said means; a valve handle sealed toI the card whereby to withdraw the card from the concealing means when the handle is moved and a visible indication on the concealing means indicative of movement of said handle.

ln testimonyv whereof l hereunto sub scribed my name. 1

WLLIAM G. SANDERSQN. 

